G6 Previews: Part 1 - The American, Sun Belt & MAC Conference Previews | College Football

About this episode

The episode previews the American, Sun Belt, and MAC conferences for the 2026 college football season, discussing team changes and potential contenders.

In this episode, we kick off our 2026 conference preview series with Part 1 of our Group of Six rundown, covering the American, Sun Belt and MAC. With coaching changes, transfer portal churn, new coordinators and a whole lot of roster turnover, we try to figure out which teams are actually built to contend and which ones are more mystery box than finished product. We start in the American, where UTSA, Navy, Memphis, Army, FAU, USF and ECU all have some version of a case, even if nearly every team comes with one glaring question. Then we move to the Sun Belt, where James Madison enters a new era with Billy Napier, Old Dominion has real intrigue, Louisiana and Troy headline the West, and nobody feels quite as loaded as last year. Finally, we close with the MAC, where Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan appear to be the class of the conference, while Toledo, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Ohio and Eastern Michigan crowd into a very meaty middle. Plus: Dan’s questionable subtitle, a punny new vehicle at Coastal Carolina, Lunch Winfield, Goose Crowder, Sacramento State’s strange MAC arrival, Keldric Luster, and the looming joy of the Ball-Sac rivalry. Timestamps…

People in this episode

Host: Dan

Topics covered

• college football
• conference previews
• American Conference
• Sun Belt Conference
• MAC Conference
• roster turnover
• coaching changes

Keywords

• college football
• American Conference
• Sun Belt
• MAC
• roster turnover
• coaching changes
• transfer portal

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UTSA, Navy, Memphis, Army, FAU, USF, ECU, James Madison, Old Dominion, Louisiana

More episodes of The Solid Verbal College Football Show

• Big 12 Preview: Part 1 - Contender Tiers, Dark Horses & the Monster Middle Class | College Football · July 21, 2026 · 1h 9m
• ACC Preview: Part 3 - Clemson’s Crossroads, Virginia Tech’s Reboot & NC State Hope | College Football · July 19, 2026 · 1h 26m
• ACC Preview: Part 2 - Miami’s Title Push, SMU’s Next Step, Mike Norvell's Hot Seat & Notre Dame | College Football · July 16, 2026 · 1h 25m
• ACC Preview: Part 1 - Contender Tiers & What Happens After Miami? | College Football · July 14, 2026 · 1h 17m
• G6 Previews: Part 2 - Pac-12, Mountain West & CUSA + UConn | College Football · July 12, 2026 · 1h 34m
• Intro to the 2026 College Football Season · July 7, 2026 · 1h 20m